Indoor air pollution increasingly poses a greater health risk than outdoor air pollution. A growing body of evidence indicates that the air in homes and other buildings is more polluted than outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. This is a major source of concern considering that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors.
People who are exposed to indoor air pollutants for the longest periods of time are often those most susceptible to the effects of indoor air pollution. Such groups include the young, the elderly, and the chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
One way to address the problems associated with indoor air pollution is to clean or filter the air to reduce pollutant levels. There are many types and sizes of air filtration systems on the market, ranging from relatively inexpensive table-top models to sophisticated, expensive whole-home systems. The effectiveness of these systems varies widely. Some filtration systems are highly effective, while others, including most table-top models, are much less so.
The effectiveness of an air filtration system can be determined by how well it collects particulates from indoor air (expressed as a percentage efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering element (expressed in cubic feet per minute). A system having an efficient filter with a low air-circulation rate will not be effective, nor will a system having a high air-circulation rate with an inefficient filter.
Conventional air filtration systems suffer from a number of problems, especially whole home air filtration systems that are part of a structure's heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. One problem is that there is often limited space for the air filtration system. This is especially a problem for high efficiency air filtration systems such as those that are rated at MERV 13 and higher. An example of such a system is the IQ Perfect 16.
High efficiency systems such as the IQ Perfect 16 often have unusual and non-standard shapes that are required to achieve high efficiency filtration but make them difficult to install in the limited space available for the HVAC system. Systems such as these must also be adapted to attach to conventional ductwork commonly used for HVAC systems, which requires significant time and labor.
Another problem with conventional air filtration systems is that they often have limited space for the filters. This is especially true for those systems that are sized the same or similarly to conventional ductwork used by the HVAC system. These systems can often only hold a single air filter or sometimes two. It would be desirable to have a system that holds more air filters and can be easily installed in conventional ductwork.